(Writes through with confirmation, quotes, previous NEW YORK) WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Tom Scully, the head of U.S. Medicare and Medicaid services, confirmed on Wednesday he was resigning, just a week after Congress passed a landmark bill that will provide a Medicare drug prescription benefit. Scully, who has headed the agency since 2001, said he would step down on Dec. 15. "It has been a great run, and has been great fun working with, and learning from, (Health and Human Services) Secretary (Tommy) Thompson, who has been a great friend and mentor," Scully said in a statement. Scully, who has been openly job hunting but has not said if he has a new position, said he stayed on to see through the Medicare prescription drug bill. The $395 billion overhaul of the federal health plan for the elderly was considered a victory for President George W. Bush. "Watching the president and the secretary drive the Medicare bill across the finish line in the last few weeks was a very rewarding culmination to a very exciting and fulfilling three years," Scully said. Under Scully, the agency formerly known as the Health Care Financing Administration became the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It oversees the state-federal health insurance plans for the poor, elderly and disabled. "Tom Scully is leaving a different agency from the one he took over in 2001, an agency that has been re-energized by his leadership," Thompson said in a statement. "He also made crucial contributions in the effort to bring about the president's vision of a modernized Medicare, and he helped ensure that future beneficiaries will be served by a better and stronger program." HHS said an acting administrator would be named before Dec. 15. Newspaper reports focused on Scully's open job search. The New York Times said he was the object of a bidding war among five firms seeking to hire him to advise clients affected by the Medicare reform measure. Scully told the Times his discussions with prospective employers complied with federal ethics regulations and he had no reason to recuse himself from work on the legislation. In an interview with The Washington Post, Scully said he had discussed job possibilities with law firms and planned to decide on one of those posts in the next few weeks. He said he was leaving to spend more time with his children and find more lucrative work.
A huge poster with a red ribbon symbolizing the fight against AIDS is displayed on the facade of the Palace of Culture ahead of World AIDS Day in Warsaw November 27, ...
